Published: Friday, February 7, 2014 at 9:58 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, February 7, 2014 at 9:58 p.m.

A grand jury has done something that is rare in these parts: It indicted a police officer in the shooting death of a Brunswick County teenager.

Whether Southport Detective Bryon Vassey's questionable judgment constituted a crime that led to the death of 18-year-old Keith Vidal will be decided in court. The Constitution says he is innocent until proven guilty. His lawyer says his client had no choice.

The district attorney, Jon David, and the grand jury disagree with Vassey's attorney. David called it "a bad shoot." A court will make that judgment.

But was there a choice? What could have been done differently? Advocates for the mentally ill say they see this sort of thing far too often, and they believe many cases that end in tragedy might be resolved nonviolently if police had better training.

Many agencies have at least one or two officers trained in working with mentally ill people. They also have negotiators whose job it is to talk down armed, disturbed people who may be holding hostages or putting themselves in danger. Better training in both these areas might reduce the chance of a tragic end.

Law enforcement agencies, not just the Southport Police, ought to be asking what could have been done to achieve a better outcome – and how they will respond differently next time. Because there will be a next time.

Vidal suffered from schizophrenia. He was acting irrationally and holding a sharp-tipped pick or screwdriver, but at one point the initial officers on the scene had calmed him down enough that he was listening, according to his family.

From there versions of what happened diverge, with Vassey's account being that he was preventing harm to a fellow officer and the teen's family suggesting that the detective acted in haste. The teenager was dead within two minutes of Vassey's arrival.

But of the five fatal shootings involving law enforcement officers since October, this is the only case in which an officer has been charged with a crime.

Vassey faces a charge of voluntary manslaughter, which is less than what Vidal's Boiling Spring Lakes family considers just. Based on history, it would be difficult to convince a grand jury that the officer's actions in the line of duty should be prosecuted as the more serious offense of second-degree murder.

Yet the grand jury was persuaded that the evidence justified a manslaughter charge – even after a judge took the unusual step of allowing Vassey to testify. The defendant rarely is permitted to address a grand jury, which determines whether there is enough evidence to prosecute the case.

It is even less common for a district attorney to seek such a charge; the default is to give the benefit of the doubt to officers who must make snap decisions in tense situations.

But deadly force should be rare, and it has not been rare in the Cape Fear region lately.

Regardless of whether the agencies considered the actions justified, their goal should be to find ways to reduce or neutralize violent confrontations, for the sake of their officers as well as suspects and bystanders.

<p>A grand jury has done something that is rare in these parts: It indicted a police officer in the shooting death of a Brunswick County teenager.</p><p>Whether Southport Detective Bryon Vassey's questionable judgment constituted a crime that led to the death of 18-year-old Keith Vidal will be decided in court. The Constitution says he is innocent until proven guilty. His lawyer says his client had no choice.</p><p>The district attorney, <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9984"><b>Jon David</b></a>, and the grand jury disagree with Vassey's attorney. David called it "a bad shoot." A court will make that judgment.</p><p>But was there a choice? What could have been done differently? Advocates for the mentally ill say they see this sort of thing far too often, and they believe many cases that end in tragedy might be resolved nonviolently if police had better training.</p><p>Many agencies have at least one or two officers trained in working with mentally ill people. They also have negotiators whose job it is to talk down armed, disturbed people who may be holding hostages or putting themselves in danger. Better training in both these areas might reduce the chance of a tragic end.</p><p>Law enforcement agencies, not just the Southport Police, ought to be asking what could have been done to achieve a better outcome – and how they will respond differently next time. Because there will be a next time.</p><p>Vidal suffered from schizophrenia. He was acting irrationally and holding a sharp-tipped pick or screwdriver, but at one point the initial officers on the scene had calmed him down enough that he was listening, according to his family.</p><p>From there versions of what happened diverge, with Vassey's account being that he was preventing harm to a fellow officer and the teen's family suggesting that the detective acted in haste. The teenager was dead within two minutes of Vassey's arrival.</p><p>But of the five fatal shootings involving law enforcement officers since October, this is the only case in which an officer has been charged with a crime.</p><p>Vassey faces a charge of voluntary manslaughter, which is less than what Vidal's Boiling Spring Lakes family considers just. Based on history, it would be difficult to convince a grand jury that the officer's actions in the line of duty should be prosecuted as the more serious offense of second-degree murder.</p><p>Yet the grand jury was persuaded that the evidence justified a manslaughter charge – even after a judge took the unusual step of allowing Vassey to testify. The defendant rarely is permitted to address a grand jury, which determines whether there is enough evidence to prosecute the case.</p><p>It is even less common for a district attorney to seek such a charge; the default is to give the benefit of the doubt to officers who must make snap decisions in tense situations.</p><p>But deadly force should be rare, and it has not been rare in the Cape Fear region lately. </p><p>Regardless of whether the agencies considered the actions justified, their goal should be to find ways to reduce or neutralize violent confrontations, for the sake of their officers as well as suspects and bystanders.</p>